My Path to Life Coaching

I am Nancy and I live in the western part of the USA. My husband and I celebrated 30 wonderful years of marriage. We have three dog babies that we adore and spoil! I have some college experience in the areas of Abnormal Psychology, Child Psychology, substance abuse, mental health, and more. I enjoy flower gardening, sitting out on our deck watching our many hummingbirds with my husband, but most of all I enjoy serving the Lord in the different ministries I am involved in.

Weighed Down by Life Struggles

I am an only child, born to a mentally ill mother, and a narcissistic father. I was emotionally and verbally abused by both of my parents, and at the age of six I was molested by a neighborhood boy. Both of my parents were emotionally detached. My mother have a mixture of depression with schizotypal personality disorder and OCD. My father was a narcissist and a cold authoritarian, who never gave praise, encouragement or support. As a result, I suffered with depression and social phobia from early childhood to well into adulthood. I used drugs and sex to cope and escape my internal pain.

Both parents abandoned me as a teenager, leaving me homeless and penniless. I had no family or friend support, just a boyfriend I had been with for only six months. We moved in together and I dropped out of high school. We got married two years later. He ended up becoming an abusive alcoholic, and I found myself in a domestic violence marriage. I finally got the courage to leave that relationship after seven years and then remarried two years later.

After being abandoned, my depression worsened and I became suicidal. I also developed hate, anger, unforgiveness and bitterness. Loneliness, rejection and abandonment were so engrained inside me that it also caused physical pain. I had carried around a ‘heaviness’ in my chest my whole life, up until I found Christ. This heaviness was a huge gaping wound that oozed with emptiness and pain. I just wanted love. I had felt unloved all of my life.

Through sex I looked for love, but only found sadness and disappointment. Through drugs I could escape for a time, but coming down made me more depressed than before getting high. I had three unsuccessful suicide attempts before I got myself help. Even after getting myself help I only went from the frying pan into the fire. My insides were still laden with heaviness, emptiness and loneliness. I ached like was being anchored down to the bottom of the ocean. Everyone saw me going down, but no one helped me.

Saved by The Right Hand

Twelve years ago, the enemy severely oppressed me. One night in particular was bittersweet, because even though I was going through a satanic attack, that was also the night Jesus came into my life (and my husband’s). It felt like He literally grabbed me out of that ocean and set me down on dry land. Not long after that is when I began hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. He revealed many things that would happen to me and my husband in the next five years. Sure enough, everything He told me happened. We were not in a good place in our marriage at that time. But over the next eleven years He restored us and has blessed us beyond belief.

Ministry Calling and Christian Leaders Institute

Since childhood, I’ve always had the desire in my heart to help people. During middle school years I often thought of becoming a social worker, counselor, and later, a therapist. But some of my life circumstances didn’t allow me to do a formal education, as finances and life situations held me back. Obtaining my GED led me to get some training in these areas (and in child behavior) through certain jobs that I had and received college credit for them.

I was able to complete two years of college but was unable at the time to continue on. I was also able to get paraprofessional training in two volunteer positions. The positions were crisis line operator and child advocacy. As I approach Christian Leaders Institute, I am wowed by how God is giving me this education NOW, to be able to do what I’ve always wanted to do-help people.  Hands-on training helped me academically.

Healing through God’s Grace

During the first years of walking with Jesus, He had to work on me from the inside. He explained to me that I had suffered many soul wounds and needed much healing. I didn’t know at the time that healing had many different levels, but it does, and I have gone through them. I started to understand why I had gone through so much hurt and pain in my life. God is able to use me in a variety of different areas to help others who are going through similar things (or have gone through) what I have. He has gifted me in many areas. Currently I am an Online Christian Chat and Email Coach, a Digital Outreach Mentor, I have a website and FB page dedicated to God.  I answer spiritual questions on other social media platforms. I am also studying Theology, Apologetics, and Deliverance Ministry Training.

Not long ago, I heard the words, “life coach” on two separate occasions, so I started researching it. That is when I found Christian Leaders Institute! I started taking the required classes to begin at CLI, and I’m happy to say that I am now a Life Coach Minister! I’ve learned so much from these classes, and they have taught me how I can better approach those I come in contact with through the ministries I already serve in. I am specializing in the area of prayer, and am excited to help others from what I have learned at Christian Leaders.  I plan on using what I learned in these classes in the online chat ministry.

Throughout the first classes I tried asking some coaching questions. This greatly aided me to look at the chatter’s situation and/or problem from a different perspective. Thus I am approaching many of the chats differently, helping them to figure some things out on their own. As a digital outreach mentor, we lend support and encourage people who are struggling or suffering with life situations. Many of these people desire to change their circumstances, but they just don’t know how to do so. I look forward to be able to assist people in this way.

I have also started my own private ministry, which is in the very beginning stages. On my website I offer Christian life coaching help. Individuals contact me to ask spiritual questions or have spiritual problems. I plan on using my certification in this way as well. Last, but certainly not least, I plan on using what I’ve learned in life in general. The skills taught in life coaching classes aid in so many areas of life.